New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-08-03
THE YOSEMITE.

Wild Flowers and Rocks OF Brilliant
Colors-The Matchless Scenery.
Says a correspondent of The Azbomy
Journal: Nothing certainly could better
evidence refined taste and high ideal
of the true elements of beauty and sub
Unity in nature than a due apprecia-
ton of the Yosemite. The Sierra Ne
vadas, lifting their snowy heads to the
sky, give rise to the strangest fancies
as seen extending for hundred miles
or more along the line of the Southern
Pacific. The creative mind can scarce
ly contemplate the hidden mysteries
that reign within their deep fast nesses
without many a wild flight of i'm agina-
ton and a constantly growing desire
to explore them. This, at least, was
the situation as regards the party in
which your humble servant is Joined
in one Of the most Interesting and
delightful trips ever made to the Yo-
semitic. AS we beheld from the car
windows these massive mountain walls
towering with such sublimitv against
the eastern sky, we determined to find
out what secret wonders they might
contain.
AS a result of this determin alton the
next morning found us dashing away
behind span OF eager bays, destined
to these stately peaks and this far-fam-
ed valley which some writer has called
1.-THE browning glory of all views on the
continent" Rapidly leaving in the
rear both the retreating plains and the
vainly pursuing cloud OF dust, we soon
reached the rolling foothills that mod
erately rose up before us, brilliantly
studded with curiously- colored rocks.
The oddly blended tints of green, yell
low, orange, and red, as they appeared
reflected in the morning sun from these
rocky hills, impressively forewarned
US of the interesting mineral region
which we were fast approaching. Aft
er penetrating few miles into these
foothills, we entered mountain dis
trict altogether new in character. and
of more than passing interest. Large
beds of wild flowers, beautiful orchards
of live oak, planted by nature, and
stately pines, bearing monstrous cones
came into view, in pleasing contrast
with the treeless hills below. Shortly
Of moderate height, where panora-
ma OF mountain scenery, stretching out
before us in great beauty, gave earnest
of the great feast which nature had in
store for us beyond. Here we also wit
messed the sublime, spectacle of a storm
in the mountains, which rising up in
majestic blacSness out Of the northern
horizon, threatened terror to all CON
cerned. Before reaching us, however,
its violence became broken by interven-
ing peaks, SO that, beyond the wreck of
a silk umbrella and>a Slight dampening
OF our elated spirits, no Inconvenience
was suffered. The shades of night
Were now falling with great solemnity
upon the "pine-clad hills of the Sier-
"ras, and the four pilgrims began to show
some anxiety as to the whereabouts OF
the next station. Shortly after dark,
however, we succeeded in reaching a
sgmall mountain settlement bearing the
significant if not ~sonorous name, Grub
Gulch.
Here we were Hospitality entertained
Ryan aged Kentuekian who had dig
nifty of stature of six and one-half feet.
Averything grows big in this region
from the seQuola big trees to the inn
keepers yarns. ghe old gentleman,
according to his account, lived in Ken;
1luel4Y during the doubtful per- od of the
-state,,.and obtained considerable noto-
,EietY oon account of ibis opposition to
the southern faction. (which latter Cir
eamstance the silver-haired patriarch
made known to us with no little display
OF emotion. We listened deferentially
to these tales of the war. cautiously
turning the drift of the conversation
frotn subjects which we could read at
leisGre MIGRANT and Hadley, to topics Of
local. interest. In this w;av sye succee d.
ed in leasing, among ,otLser things,
. that the ,clunsy name attached to this
romantie place had its osigin in the cir
cumsta1ce ;thatsa number Of Geld pros
pectors4 who had tailed ia .ther opera
tions everywhere else, casne here and
made q living There are nov. how
ever, a natisaba r,of mines liz the .vscinity
IN very successful operation. The prin-s
eipaq of these are the '.Gambettas' and
the Surprise" both of which we visit
ed the following day while waiting for
the storm to pass over. At the Gam
bett4a mines we enjoyed a rare upper
tunitg to- learn in detail the process Of
reducing the ore, besides obtaining q
number OF fine speeinaens. We were
also royalty entertained at the private
residence of the superintendent. whose
wife is an accomplished lady from Lon
don. At the Red Rover and Antelope
we learned the simple art OF ..pros-
peeting" for gold, and also descended
Into the earth to the bottom of their
shafts. III.
y But the works Of nature are of more
absorbing interest in this region than